Carnival On The Road!!!

Miss Universe 1st Runner-up Yendi Phillips enjoying the music

On Sunday of this week the Jamaican Carnival season came to it's climax, the grade finale, the road march. The Carnival season started at the beginning of the year with the customary blow out nights and socarobics sessions at Mass camp then built up momentum with beach J'Ouvert over the easter weekend and then the final set of J'Ouvert sessions in New Kingston the Friday night before the Road March.

Revelers pose for a photo

I always look forward to the road march for the colourful costumes and also the colourful multitude of women that only seem to come out when it is time for the road march. What could be better than beautiful women dancing in scanty costumes? (heheehee) I was especially excited this year though since I had a new camera and also my prized possession, my 24-70mm f2.8 lens! So I was ready to take some great photos of the fun on the streets.

A reveler dancing to the Soca music

I had a rough weekend with a lot of work so my plans of getting up early to capture the event from the start was totally out of the question. I got up at about 10am  and decided I would catchup with the revelers and my fellow photographers after lunch when they were re-energized. However, things did not work as planned! by 12:00pm the sun was replaced by mean dark clouds which began to pour its fury on the road and it poured and poured! At this point getting any glimpse of the road march was just a dream.

More lovely females posing for the camera

However, just as how a bright sunny day changed to a deluge, it changed back to a very bright and sunny afternoon! the sun came back out with full force, almost squashing the memory of the previous rain. I met up with the revelers on Trafalgar Road in New Kingston and thanks to a fellow photographer I got an arm band which allowed me full access to the revelers! This year road march was much smaller than previous years, seems the recession has also hit Bacchanal Carnival. There were only about five trucks and the number of costumed revelers was very small and disorganized. Even the lead costume was almost nonexistent for the various groups. Nevertheless it was a fun crowd, lots of dancing, gyrating, scantily clad, sexy women were out on the streets. It was a much smaller road march than previous years, but it still provided a lot of photo ops and was fun.

This lady certainly turned several heads with her revealing costume and  eye-popping body!

See the rest of my Bacchanal Carnival Road March photos in the following albums on my Facebook fan page:
Bacchanal Carnival Road March Part I 01 May 2011
Bacchanal Carnival Road March Part II 01 May 2011

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Wet Wet Carnival!

Sunday was the finale of the Jamaica Carnival season, the anticipated Road March, a parade of a kaleidoscope of colours, infiltrating music, and the scantily clad women dancing as they make their way down to the streets of Kingston city. I got up at approximately 10:00am and after a few rounds of consultations with other photographers, I decided to meet the Road March at Trafalgar Road in New Kingston, which did not happen until about 1:00pm. However, before I could hear the music and see the the big trucks and colourful costumes I beheld an ominous sign!

I looked up at the sky towards the Blue Mountains and the sky was mean, a striking contrast to what I woke up to earlier in the day! The hot, bright sunny skies was replaced with shades of gray and huge heavy clouds which began to burst over the mountain range. By the time I saw the marching band and the first of the big trucks, I had already experienced a short drizzle, but yet I was still hoping for the best. So I readied my camera and my trigger finger and as the procession came down the road I started to shoot. I got in a few photographs, trying to compose my shots instead of just shooting wildly. But only a few photographs I got before it happened.

I had just crossed of from Trafalgar Road unto Waterloo Road when the first few drops started to fall, but I was still hoping for the best and continued to shoot selectively and then it happened! The skies burst open and unleashed a torrential downpour! I had only a few seconds to throw my camera in my backpack as well as my flash and cellphone, as the rain came down with a vengeance! There was nowhere on Waterloo road to find cover from the onslaught of water, not a shelter in sight. All I could do is walk along the street helplessly as me and my fellow photographers tried to navigate through the crown to the safety of the car, not for our own good, but for the survival of our expensive gears! However, while we walked along the already flooded streets, the revelers did not seem to mind at all! The harder the rain poured the more the danced, the more they wined and grind to the music of the big trucks. For all those who missed being soaked while the party at the Water Party, the Road March certainly made up for it and more!

Despite betting soaked down to my draws (underwear) and only getting a handful of useful photographs, I am happy that my waterproof camera bag stood up to the elements and my gears are still functional. So without further ado, here are some of the photos I got of the Jamaican Carnival 2010 Road March.

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Vibes, Festival & Lots of Carnival Photos!

On Saturday I found myself at Mello Vibes, a party that fuses the best music of the past for your listening and dancing pleasure. It does not matter which decade is your favorite, Mello vibes covered them all. The music ranged from as far back as the 1950's up to the early 2000's. The vibe was right and the music selection kept the patrons dancing up a storm all night long. I arrived at approximately 12:30am and the music kept people moving until I left at approximately 4:00am. It wasn't only the music and the vibe that was right as this party was easy on my pocket, especially in these challenging economic and tax burdened times. At a pre-sold price of $JM600 (just over US$6.00) pre-sold and JM$800 at the gate, you can't ask for more!

On Sunday I was off to the Liguanea Festival of Fine Arts and Photography to view some of Jamaica's creative works done by some of the countries top artists. The art festival showcased paintings, drawings, sculptures, portraits, ceramics, jewellery and, of most interest to me, photography. There were a lot of creative works on display at the festival, and just reiterates how much talent is here in our little island. I spent most of my time, as expected, in the Photography booths where I as humbled by the many photography exhibitions that were on show. It has shown me how much more I have to learn in this art and has even encouraged me to continue in my hobby and hopefully soon to be additional source of income. I was also fortunate to meet a few members of the Flickr group I recently joined, the Jamaica, West Indies photo group. I am hoping to go on the photo trips that they regularly have, not only to learn from these more experienced photographers, but also to take a lot of photos as well as visit the many beautiful places in Jamaica.

As promised in my recent post, I have mustered up the energy and have uploaded the over 700 photographs I took at last Sunday's Bacchanal Carnival Road March. It took my quite a while to upload all these photographs, but I eventually completed the process on Sunday night... shhh, while at work [whispers softly]. I have also added a small post about the Carnival season on my, very neglected travel blog, Mek A Trod. However, I will be posting about more attractions this week and will make an effort to update the blog more often. Also, I will soon be inviting you guys to guest post on the blog about the local attractions, eateries and events that you have visited. So without further deliberation, click here for the pics.

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The Bacchanal Carnival Finale

Now after that bit of unfortunate news yesterday, I will turn my focus back to the grand finale of the 2009 Bacchanal Carnival season here in Jamaica. On Saturday night I found myself at the After Party on Oxford Road in New Kingston after leaving work at midnight. I figured, since it was so near why don't I just go up there and chill out for a while. I have never been to one of those Water parties before, but as the name suggests it involved a lot of water. So after going inside and meeting up with some of my friends I secured my phone, wallet and car keys, as I was prepared for some soaking action. The music played and then they ca;;ed for the water and the water did come, jetting from the gigantic hoses used by the water trucks. I certainly got soaked, dancing to a mix of Soca and Dancehall songs. The crowd danced, wined and grind to the music as the water sprayed their gyrating bodies.

On Sunday morning I woke up bright and early... well not really I got up at about 10:00 am, come on, after all that party you didn't expect me to be up by 6:00 am right! I got myself together and after a large breakfast I hooked up with my regular Carnival road march friend and a new addition to the crew who is into photography. Then all three of us headed out to the road and met up with the Carnival massive at Lady Musgrave road. At that time the sun was pelting, but my eagerness to take photos was too strong to be discouraged by the heat, as as such the photography began. By mid afternoon we were on Trafalgar road and the sky had darkened, threatening the revelers and the many photographers who paved the streets. But alas, we only got an extremely light drizzle, so light that I didn't even had to cover my camera. So with the cooler conditions and the softer lighting of the overcast sky the reveling, gyrating, wining, posing, and photography continued. The Road march had quite a few costumed revelers, not as much as in previous years, but still enough to resemble Carnival of years gone by. However, the number of bystanders, followers and even photographers seem to be holding strong in numbers. I managed to get quite a few shots, over 700, yeah mi know that nuff! Not all are great shots, but I managed to get quite a few good ones in the lot. Having a DSLR certainly makes it easier to get those special shots quickly and people to pose for you, hehehe. I must admit it, Jamaica has some of the most beautiful and sexiest women in the world! So without further ado, as I know you all want to see pictures, here are some of the shots I took. As usual I will be posting some on my photoblog and I am thinking of uploading the lot to a gallery. I will let you know about the gallery if I do.

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Bits & Pieces

Isn't it just scary how quick the week has gone by? Damn, I know I have said something similar quite a few times before, but it just amazes me... or should I say scare me how time is just jetting by! So what has been going on in the life of Stunner for this week and what are the plans for the weekend?

I woke up on Thursday morning to overcast skies, but I didn't get my hopes up for that thing... uh, what's the name again... oh yes, rain! See, it has been so long since we got a good shower of rain here in Kingston, as it has been sunny, dry and windy. By mid afternoon as I was about to step through the door i heard a vaguely familiar sound, it was rain! It sounded so good as it hit the many surfaces in it's path and that smell of the warm, dry ground being quenched by the rain drops was so refreshing. It didn't fall very hard or for very long, but we got a good shower for a decent few hours. this was just enough to drop the temperature a little and keep down the angry raging dust that masked every conceivable surface as it danced in the wind. It has all gone by now though, but it was good to finally see a shower after such a long time. I am hoping for some more rain...not every day though... and not this Sunday!

I finally got my UV filter for my camera, which I purchased on Amazon and shipped to Jamaica via Global Couriers. Now I can feel a whole lot more comfortable using my camera as I don't have to worry about my lens getting scratched. Also the UV filter is supposed to protect my lens from UV rays as well as enhance the quality of the photos. I also collected my lens pen and micro cleaning cloth which I ordered along with the filter. Damn dutty, teifing customs pissed me off though, as the charged me fees and duties summing up to almost a half of the price of the items I purchased! Danville yuh a gwaan bad star! No wonder why people try to evade customs duties, they are too damn high! On another note, I have splurged... yes I have purchased the zoom lens (55-200mm) as I really need the zoom capability to get the shots I want. I got it on Amazon for just over US$20o. Unfortunately it is being delivered to my sister's place and I will have to wait until someone is coming down from New York to "smuggle" it in for me. No star, mi cyaan pay Danvil;e 47% in custom fees, that's almost US$100! So Next on the list is a bigger camera bag and a speed light! Donations anyone?

This weekend is the culmination of the Carnival season, the grand Finale! Jokers Wild, Jouvert, the great paint-up-paint-up weekend and then finally the road march! Unfortunately due to embarrassing financial constraints and lack of familiar company (my usual paring brethren), Jouvert will not be seeing my face... if it was I wouldn't be typing this post... [pouting]. No doubt I will hear how wonderful it was and I will see all the raunchy pictures... [sigh]. Nevertheless, I am thinking of going to the Water Party after work tomorrow night, so if that works out I should have some fun. Sunday, however, is the big day for me, yes it's the road march. Why am I so looking forward to it? No. I'm not jumping in costume with the bands, behind the big truck! I will be heading to the road march though, yes to test out my new Nikon D60 DSLR with the newly acquired UV filter! I was hoping to have the zoom lens for this occasion, but that will not be. So I will have to make do with what I have, hopefully I will still manage to get some good shots!

Anyway people, I went to gym this evening and as a result the sleep has crept in. So even though I just saw that CSI Miami is on and I could amuse myself with Caruso's over dramatic one liners, my bed seems more enticing at this moment. Further more the sleep will spare me the torture of being home while Jouvert is entertaining countless hot girls... I mean people.

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Carnival Road March - Bacchanal Carnival - Part 2!!!

It's another Friday, which means it is another weekend. But this is not just any old Friday, as today I am one year older, another change of the increasing digits that marks the length of time of my existence on on the face of the earth. I have nothing much planned for the day, but I plan to take it easy and relax today. Achieving this milestone in life has mixed feelings as I'm happy to have made to one more year on this planet but it also brings feelings of sadness. yeah, the inevitable fact that I'm getting older and stepping ever closer to old age and sagging, wrinkled skin and gray hairs. But I still have some youth left so I think I should enjoy it and continue to achieve and maintain fit body, so I age gracefully. Anyway, to show your appreciation for Stunner, you can always donate a few of the green back to the Stunner's Appreciation Fund or by me a drink or two!

Today I will continue with set 2 of 3 of the Bacchanal Carnival road march. Don't forget to check My World My Lens for other photos that I haven't posted here. I hope you enjoy it! By the way what are your plans for this weekend? Whatever it it, have fun!

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Carnival Road March - Bacchanal Carnival - Part I!!!

So as I said in my last post, Jamaica Carnival road march wasn't much to desire, but Bacchanal Carnival had a lot more excitement and a lot more better looking women. I spend most of the time with the Bacchanal Carnival road march as it is much better judging from my past experience. Anyway, no more chatting, here is the first set of pictures of Bacchanal Carnival.

[Click on the photos to enlarge]

























































This was the first set of Bacchanal Carnival, hope you enjoyed it. More to come!

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Carnival Road March - Jamaica Carnival!

At last it was here, Carnival Sunday! The big day, the grand finale, the road march! My last opportunity to capture some of the life, the fun, the dancing and the women! But there was an ominous sign in the sky, the day was dangerously overcast, an indication of imminent rain. My fears were soon realized as the light gray clouds were replaced by dark heavy clouds and then down it came, the rain. Immediately the dreadful thought came to my head that I may not get to go on the streets to take pictures this year. But I didn't fret too much, after all the rain must hold up at some point right? So I went about my other business in the house, season some chicken to oven BBQ and cut up some vegetables to steam. Of course I didn't expect to cook before heading on the road, but it is a great idea to have everything ready to cook when I get back.

It was some time new two o'clock that the rain finally stopped falling and one of my coworker called and said, we are good to go, so i grabbed my camera and off I went with a smile on my face! The normally 10 minutes drive to New Kingston to get somewhere to park took about 30 minutes due to what seemed like Monday morning traffic before the extra lane of Constant Spring road. So after parking in New Kingston I had to double back to Half Way Tree so I could get to sample both carnival road marches, Jamaica Carnival and Bacchanal Carnival.

I must admit, that I was somewhat disappointed with both road parades, I don't know, maybe it was the rain, or the music, or they were just plain tired, but I didn't see much dancing or revelry at all. for the most part people were just walking and merely jigging with the beat, which was rarely punctuated by a few instances of wining. After seeing Adrian's photos I was expecting, not the same thing, but at least something close. I took quite a few photos though, some came out alright while some were just poor and blurry, but I did get some nice shots! While walking along with the Bacchanal road march I saw my fellow blogger and photo enthusiast taking photos f the road march. I will be posting separate sets of photographs, one series here and the other series on My World My Lens during the course of this week, so you have to visit both sites to see all of them.

Anyway enough of the bag a chat, I know Irie Diva is waiting impatiently, so here are the pictures.

Set One (Jamaica Carnival)
[Click on the photos to enlarge]

I didn't get much pictures of the Jamaica Carnival road march as I arrived late and was more interested in the Bacchanal Carnival road march. Next Bacchanal Carnival!!!

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